


Servant of Apocrypha

by GhastlyGhost



Series: With tainted blood [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Gen, details may be edited over time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-07-26 02:54:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7557328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhastlyGhost/pseuds/GhastlyGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An elder scrolls AU for two original characters.</p><p>One of Sharan's caravan members happens upon an idol, and gives it to him as a gift. Little does he know that on contact with blood, a daedric servant is summoned from Apocrypha to do the bidding of whomever the blood belonged to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A morphoid daedra is a type of daedric being, which appears in an Elder Scrolls legend: Battlespire. They resemble large horned and hooved scamps, and are associated with Hircine and Mehrunes Dagon. Naturally, I took some artistic liberty.

“This one told you not to make such deals,” Jo'Sharan sighed, shaking his head.

It seemed Do'Jari had found a way to lose his money for a useless trinket, which he had then given to the mer. There was little they could do now, since the caravan had already moved on to another area. “What is this, Do'Jari?”

A metal statuette with odd carvings that were filled with green pigment and a sigil on the bottom of its base. It looked a little bit like a faun of sorts, only less hairy and with a longer tail and with tentacles on its head. It also held a small spear or staff that seemed to be made of ebony or the material used in daedric weaponry.

With a slow shake of his head, Jo'Sharan handed Do'Jari his purchase back, but the Khajiit raised his hands in protest.

“No no, Do'Jari got it for you. It looked like a thing Sharan would like.”

After reluctantly having agreed to accept the object, Jo'Sharan sat outside, in the nearby forest, while the others slept and ran his finger over the figure. The carvings gave it a nice texture. It was rather pretty now that he had the time to check it more extensively. He touched the spear and let his fingers slide up the stick until he made it to the blade and he accidentally pricked his index finger on the blade tip. The resulting drop of blood trickled down and touched the figure’s hand, after which the markings exhibited a faint glow.

The sigil at the bottom got drawn, as if with a stick, in large on the ground in front of Jo'Sharan. The lines shone brightly and the ground within got replaced with a vile liquid, out of which emerged a creature, like the statuette, with a distressed gasp. The portal shut and left the wet form laying on the ground.

A soft groan escaped them as they tried to push themself up. Grasping their weapon firmly, they managed to gain a decent footing and used a spell to dry themself.

“At least there was no acid this time,” they mumbled before making their markings and eyes glow with magical energy, taking on a stronger stance, and booming, “Who dare call forth the servant of our Lord Hermaeus Mora?”

Sharan, rather startled, jumped back and pulled out his blade while taking cover behind a tree. Eventually, he uttered to himself, “…He used acid?”

The creature twitched their head to the side, the whisper having loud enough for them to hear. “What?”

“Acid?” Sharan repeated softly, again to himself.

“That is…” With a soft sigh, the creature dropped their shoulders. “Yes, but I asked you something. You are being rude.”

Sharan squinted behind his cover. “What?”

The creature sighed again, and repeated, in a far less intimidating tone, “Who dare call forth the servant of Lord Hermaeus Mora?”

Considering to actually answer the question, Sharan paused, but then decided it was probably a good idea to run. Even if this creature, probably daedroth, did not seem too hostile, that could change in a heartbeat. As quickly as the thought to run popped up in his head, his legs sprung into action and he darted away.

“Wait! Come back,” the creature cried, “I cannot return until you tell me what you want!”  
The creature quickly casted a portal spell to try and catch up with Sharan, then stopped to search about the horizon. They couldn’t find the mer and pulled a disappointed frown.

“I suppose I’m going to have to kill myself again…” They uttered, rolling their eyes. They then raised their staff to their chest, ready to stab it into them. “Hopefully, it won’t take more than three hundred years this time.”

Suddenly, a voice was heard from a distance. “This one wants you to tell him what you are.”

The creature’s eyes widened slightly, and they lowered their weapon, their ear tilted towards where the voice had come from.  
“I am a morphoid daedroth,” the creature replied. “With daedroth, I mean the singular form of daedra, not the beasts of Coldharbour.”

“Why can’t you go home unless you do something for Jo'Sharan?”

“A blood sigil. In order for me to return, you must dismiss me or you need to die,” they explained. “I do not know how long the latter would take, however.”

So all this creature needed was for Sharan to die. This was concerning, but somehow, what the creature said afterwards had confused him. “How long it would take for this one to die?”

“You seem part elven,” the creature noted. “Those things live long lives.”

Sharan glanced at the statuette in his hands. “…What is this figure?”

The creature took slightly longer to come up with a decent answer for this question. “An artefact made by a mage to bind me to his will. It works by summoning me when it is touched by blood, after which I am bound to the will of the one who activated it, granted that this person is alive.”

So, this being was currently bound to his will then. “Don’t kill this mer,” Sharan quickly requested.

“I was not planning on doing so.” The daedroth folded their free arm behind their back. “Am I dismissed?”

There was a long silence in which the being waited while Sharan thought on their question. Really, this being must know a lot, since most daedra seemed to have lived rather long lives. Sharan could ask them so many things. Alas, he found that he was at a loss, and so he just agreed it was best to let the being leave.

“Yes.”

“Alright.” The creature made a quick bow of the head. “Next time you call me, it may be best to prepare your questions before–”

Before they could finish their sentence, a portal opened under them from which a cluster of tentacles shot out and grabbed hold of them. As they got pulled down, all they managed to cry out was a loud, unintelligible screech.

–

After that, Sharan had chosen to keep the statuette instead of leaving in the forest for someone else to run into or tossing it in a smelter.

More than a week had passed. Honestly, some questions had arisen since their first meeting and he was contemplating whether or not he should conjure this odd creature again.  
Suddenly, there was a loud scream in the distance and Sharan jumped up to run to where it came from. He saw bandits surrounding Ma'Dani, who had dropped a basket of bread in her shock.

They had their blades out and were closing in on her. A quick knife throw distracted them though, hitting one of them in the shoulder. Three of them turned towards Sharan, who was now unarmed and did not have his armor on. 

The magic he had at hand was not enough to hold all of the bandits off of him, he only managed to kill one of them. After charging at him, one had managed to give him a deep cut in his side. He collapsed and the bandit towered over him.

In his panic, he made a split second decision to grab the figure on his belt and drew blood on it from the wound he’d been inflicted.

Just as quickly as the figure reacted, the portal that would send the being through opened under one of Sharan’s attackers, causing him to fall into the pool. He screamed and a hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him under after which the creature came out of the portal and it closed.

“Acid…” they sighed, shaking their head and plucking at the damaged rings in their ears. They let out a short huff then gave Sharan a puzzled look. “Who was–”

The creature was interrupted by an arrow shooting past from the bandits behind them. They turned, their face full of bemusement, then just glanced at the archer’s feet and cast a fireball spell at them. The archer jumped out of the way, but, having anticipated that, the daedroth cast another fireball with their staff.

They shook their head, once the bandit had been dispatched, and turned back to Sharan. “Who were those?”

“It doesn’t matter, Shar wants you to–” Sharan let out a soft hiss of pain and clutched the gash on his side, causing the creature he summoned to tilt their head and lower their ears in concern.

“You require healing,” the creature noted, raising a hand in preparation to cast a restoration spell.

“This one has a potion for this. He wants you to protect the caravan.”

“You won’t survive with only a potion,” the creature argued. “I cannot protect them when your death sends me back to my plane.”

“Fine,” Sharan begrudgingly agreed, after which he let the cool energy mend his wounds. He tensed and let out a soft gasp when the magic touched his skin. The creature held the spell long enough to allow Sharan to walk on his own, then helped him onto his feet.

“If I heal you more, you could help me fight,” the daedric being offered, to which Sharan replied by shaking his head.

“No. The potion will be enough now,” he assured with a hand halfway raised. “Just go save the caravan.”

With that, the daedroth made a bow and disappeared to the other members of the caravan. The warriors had taken out some of the attackers already, but they were struggling, some of them showing a partial limp from injuries.

A whirlpool appeared in the middle of the combat area, from which the daedroth emerged on a curled tentacle with five others coming up from around them.

All those present ceased their actions and stared in shock, eyes on the shadows of the appendages falling over the entire camp. The daedroth jumped down, their fall slowing as they descended. The moment they made contact with the ground, their eyes and markings lit up and the tentacles from the portal lunged at the bandits closest to them. They wrapped tightly around their bodies and dragged the screaming miscreants into the depths, after which the portal closed.

It was going to be a short fight after that. The daedroth spun their weapon and started in the direction of the most heavily armored human. The man raised his blade to the daedroth. Not fazed at all, the creature kept on their approach and readied a spell.

Clawed fingers tensed as the charge increased and as soon as the bandit ran at them, the creature fired, causing the bandit to collapse to the ground screeching and writhing in pain while his skin slowly burned off of his body.

The merchant the bandit had been chasing before this cowered with large eyes locked on the daedroth, who then simply turned away with their blade ready.

As soon as the other bandits tried to run away, the daedroth attacked, moving from bandit to bandit with quick jumps. The blood sprayed from the bandits severed limbs. They had all been lightly armored, which made them easier to kill. Only the mage had chosen to turn back to face the daedroth.

She cast a quick disorientation spell then rolled out of the way to avoid having the creature fall on her. The mage got up and pulled a dagger. While the daedroth was still down, she raised her blade, and just before she could begin to bring it down onto being’s throat, Sharan rushed to the scene and shouted, “You are dismissed, daedroth.”

The portal back to Apocrypha opened under the daedroth and the bandit beside them, and the tentacles that emerged wrapped around them both. The daedroth remained still with their eyes wide, but the woman let out a loud distressed cry. She tried to fight her way free, but the harder she fought, the tighter the appendages wrapped around her. Finally, she was silenced by the waters of the daedroth’s home.

Sharan ran over to Ma'Dani and helped her up.  
“Jo'Sharan,” she whined softly, holding a torn part of her sleeve up her shoulder. “What was that? How did you…”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sharan waved off.

The other caravan members gathered together. Ja'Mari inspected the burned bandit chief’s body while Sharan went over to check on everyone else.

Once Sharan got to him, all Ja'Mari could do was stare at the mer in disbelief.

Most of the Khajiit said almost nothing that whole night, but Ma'Dani, while checking on Sharan, still wanted her questions answered.

“You know what that thing is, yes?”

Sharan remained silent and Ma'Dani’s eyes fell on the figurine while they shifted to meet Sharan’s.

“It has to do with what Do'Jari brought, back those weeks ago,” she speculated.

Once again, Sharan was silent, but this time, he was going to be the one to break this silence.

“It does,” he admitted. “It is a daedroth.”

“Ma'Dani guessed as much.”

“It comes from its realm when blood touches the statue,” Sharan explained. “It is bound to Sharan’s will, but… it seems as though it still has one of its own even when given a command.”

“Does it have a name?” Ma'Dani asked, her brows raised curiously.

–

The next day, Sharan had left to go hunting. He’d thought on Ma'Dani’s question. Daedra did have names, yes? Or was that only Dremora?

His fingers ran lightly over the statuette he’d taken to carrying with him at all times as he paced through the forest. It was only a split second in which he made the decision to call the daedroth with a prick in his thumb.

“What is it you require?” the daedroth greeted as they emerged from the portal with much more finesse than the first time.

“A name.”

“You… require a name?” The daedroth’s ears twitched a little and they furrowed their brows. “Do you not already have a name?”

“Your name,” Sharan clarified. “What is your name?”

The daedroth was briefly silent and blinked once before giving the answer. “Luceras.”

People usually did not ask for their name and they were visibly surprised.

“Is that… all you require?” Luceras questioned.

“How old are you?”

“I…” With eyes turned up, and tapping their chin, Luceras tried to come up with an answer to this question. Really, it was hard to recall as they were quite old. “I have not kept track.”

 

Sharan narrowed his eyes and turned his face to the ground. He had once again ran out of requests. Although…

He looked back up, brows slightly furrowed.  
“Can you… gather information?”

“Seeing as I am Lord Mora’s servant, that is something I do frequently,” they replied with one raised hand. That answer should have been obvious. Then again, assuming things could cause trouble, it’s better to ask too much than too little.

“Can you see if Sharan’s- my father… if he is still alive?”

Luceras tilted their head with their ears askew. “I… I suppose I could do that. I would need something of yours however.”

That was worrisome. Sharan did not think this was going to be like making a deal with Clavicus Vile, but, again, one could never be sure, especially with daedra. “What do you need?”

“Blood,” they replied. “Or just a strand of hair, or skin. Something to make it easier to track him.”

Sharan gave a slow nod. That did not seem so bad. It seemed logical, even. Anything to make finding his father easier was worth a shot if it was something so seeminhly harmless. He raised his hand to pull out a small strand of hair, after which he handed it to Luceras, who took the hair and pulled an empty vial from their belt to store it inside.

“It is best if I return to Apocrypha for this. All my equipment is there, after all.”

Sharan nodded again. “You may return to your plane. Come back when you find something of use.”

“I shall,” Luceras replied with a bow, after which the all too familiar portal appeared and pulled them back to their home.

Hopefully, this would not end badly and Sharan had not been deceived by this creature.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had forgotten to add this when I first posted the story. I think it was due to it being too short. It's unlikely that I will do anything more with this story, so I posted this bit as second chapter.

Sharan was asleep when Luceras emerged from a smaller portal than before. Realising Sharan was asleep, Luceras decided to wait patiently for Sharan to wake up, sitting on the ground and keeping themself just small enough to not ruin his tent. It would have been odd to wake him, he required that sleep.

Sharan could feel their presence, even when not awake yet. Still, when he did finally wake just to be greeted with two glowing eyes staring right at him when he turned around, he yelped and nearly toppled his tent over in shock.

Once he calmed down, he saw that it was just Luceras staring at him, brows furrowed and ears down in bewilderment over his reaction to their presence.

“Your father is alive and lives in Cyrodiil,” Luceras simply stated, breaking the awkward silence. “It appears I startled you.”

“Y-yes… you did,” Sharan replied, his heart still racing as he tried to settle back down. How long had that creature already been there? He couldn’t fathom why the creature hadn’t just woken him up.

“Did you sleep well?” Luceras asked with curious eyes on Sharan.

“This one… I suppose.”

“Why do you speak like a Khajiit?”

That question came out of seemingly nowhere. Upon further speculation, Sharan really could have expected this to come up at some point; it always did, eventually.

“Sharan is raised by Khajiit…”

“Ah, I see.” Luceras’ ears perked up and they nodded a little. “Now that I found your father, is there anything else you require of me?”

Sharan paused and looked to the ground. After a while, he got up and started gathering his armor and weapons. He put it on over his regular clothes, then turned to Luceras. “Take Sharan to his father.”

“Ah… he is a vampire,” Luceras warned with one finger a little raised.

“Yes, he is.”

“He was one when you were conceived…” It was clear that Sharan did not intend to just talk to this man. You didn’t need armor and weapons to talk. “Are you certain that this is what you wish?”

“Yes.”

The determination and anger in the mer’s eyes was an obvious sign that he was not about to change his mind. Luceras cast their eyes to the ground. There was no point in trying to convince Sharan that this was a bad idea, so all they could do was follow his command.They were just lucky that they weren’t too bound to one’s will to not even argue first.

Luceras turned their face back up. “Hold your breath.”

It was in less than the blink of an eye that Sharan and Luceras found themselves landing on a hard rock floor in what seemed like an underground dungeon.

Once Sharan had gotten his footing, with the help of Luceras putting an arm around him, Luceras softly asked, “Do you wish of me to stay?”

“No,” Sharan replied. “This is something Sharan must do on his own.”

With that, Luceras made a polite bow, before letting the tentacles of the appearing portal pull them away.

Sharan rubbed the head of the figurine on his belt with his thumb. Knowing it was there made him feel a little more at ease. If something happened, he could just summon his companion for aid.


End file.
